[StBernard] Two St. Bernard Parish Council members gain seats on hospital board

[Westley Annis]

Two St. Bernard Parish Council members gain seats on hospital board
by Bob Warren, The Times-Picayune 
Wednesday July 08, 2009, 12:32 PM

Capping a tortuous period of bickering, the St. Bernard Council has narrowly
voted two of its members onto the board that is charged with overseeing
construction of a $58 million public hospital in Chalmette.

In identical 4-3 votes Tuesday night, Councilmen George Cavignac and Wayne
Landry were elected to the parish's Hospital Service District by their
peers. 

The pair's seating on the board follows a stretch of political infighting on
the council that brought accusations and counter-accusations of lying and
political subterfuge and prompted a lawsuit. 


Voting for the appointments were Landry, Cavignac and Councilmen Fred
Everhardt and Kenny Henderson. Opposing were Councilmen Mike Ginart and Ray
Lauga and Council Chairman Frank Auderer. 


Cavignac and Landry first gained seats in May, in a 3-2 council vote.
Auderer and Henderson were absent. The seats were open due to the
resignations of Drs. Paul Verrette and Bryan Bertucci, a development
announced at the same council meeting. 

Ginart and Lauga complained they were blindsided by the sudden resignations
and council vote and, along with Auderer, sued in state court to prevent
Cavignac and Landry from being seated. After a hearing in which Landry and
Cavignac represented themselves, State District Judge Robert Buckley sided
with Ginart, Lauga and Auderer, ruling, in part, that Landry and Cavignac
had knowledge of the doctors' resignations but that the information "was not
shared with other council members or in any way noted on the agenda item to
provide notice to the public." 

The state's 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and Supreme Court then declined to
entertain Landry and Cavignac's request for an immediate consideration of
their case. 

Auderer on Tuesday said he thought it would violate the parish's charter for
Landry and Cavignac to serve on the board; Landry countered that another
provision in the charter allows it. 

Auderer wanted to wait until the parish receives an opinion from the state
Ethics Board, but Ginart seemed weary of the infighting. 

He said the legal battle was about the public notification on the agenda
before the initial May vote. He said Tuesday's agenda, which included a
resolution seeking to ratify Landry and Cavignac's appointments, rendered
that point of contention moot. 

"At this point, it's properly out there," he said, later adding, "we ought
to vote on it and move forward." 

Bob Warren can be reached at bwarren at timespicayune.com or 504.826.3363.